What: A
subscription service for record companies to track how many people
are sharing music in P2P (peer-to-peer) networks
Who: Michael Guy
of WebSpins.com
Where: Encino,
California
When: Started in
2000
People didn't think it was possible, but Michael Guy wrote a
program that can track how many times a song is traded on
peer-to-peer (P2P) networks such as Kazaa Media Desktop or Napster.
He knew this information would be highly valued by record industry
execs and radio program directors, so Guy created a Web
subscription service they can use to download information about the
most popular content on P2P networks. Not only can WebSpins.com quantify
the rampant song-trading, but the service also provides valuable
research into what consumers want.
On a recent trip to a radio industry convention, Guy, 42, saw
just how popular his service had become. "I was stopped by
dozens of radio programmers and artist managers from around the
country, and kind of felt a little like a rock star," he
recalls. "I knew at that point my message was getting out, and
it was well-received." It's been so well-received, in
fact, that 2003 sales hit about $2 million.
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